Fused glass nice way of adding all-year color

LONDON — Often garden sculptures are made from stone or resin. But Nicky Exell is setting the cat among the pigeons by producing them in unusual fused glass.

“A few years ago I installed some examples in my own garden, which have survived some pretty bad winters,” says Nicky. “That gave me the confidence to pursue this idea further and I am now also producing water features. I want to do something a bit different.

“Fused glass is a nice way of adding all-year round colour to the garden without having to feed or prune. It is several layers thick meaning that it is strong and will cope with hot and cold. It can withstand most weather conditions and on sunny days the glass really becomes vibrant and glowing.”

Nicky has produced sculptures, water features and water fountains.“The larger sculptures can take a week to produce,” she reveals. “But the design can take much longer. I work on several projects at a time.”

To produce her fused glass sculptures Nicky cuts her design shape out in thin layers of glass and lays them on top of each other four to five layers thick in a kiln, heated to 800 degrees Celsius, which then fuses them together.

Depending on the sculpture, for instance if a wave is being made, multiple firings might be required. www.nickyexell.co.uk. — SG